The Graduate's Guide to Voting

I’ve always been that person who says, “It doesn’t matter who you vote for, as long as you vote”, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the upcoming in/out referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU is too important for just picking a side on the day. I’m fortunate as a politics grad in that I’ve always known which way I would vote if there was ever an in/out referendum, but many friends I’ve spoken to are still undecided. I can’t imagine how overwhelming it must be to have to make your mind up in a matter of weeks. So with that in mind, here is my guide to deciding which way to vote, so you don’t end up voting in the dark.

1.    The newspapers do not equal the truth

Some people seem to think everything they read in newspapers is gospel. Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not. On both sides of any debate, newspapers have agendas too, so they’ll rarely report figures that go against their message, and have even become quite skilled at running pretty flawed and skewed research of their own. Either read a variety of newspapers or none at all, and take everything you read with a pinch of salt.

2.    Educate yourself

It’s important to seek out more information than what is hand-picked for you by the media or your friends and family. You decide what’s important to you. You can do your own research simply by googling the institutions and issues involved. The more you know, the more informed your decision will be on polling day.

3.    Get some perspective

You’ll probably feel more confident in your decision if you keep up with what’s going on in the world beyond our shores; how the UK affects the world, and how the world affects the UK. I find it really helpful to read articles written outside the UK to gain some much needed context to any debate. Good starting points are the New York Times, Politico, The Washington Post and Buzzfeed, where you’ll find they all have columns going on European Affairs and the referendum specifically. Try searching ‘Brexit’ in any of these publications and you should find plenty of global perspective.

4.    Talk it out

Don’t be afraid to listen to the opinions of those close to you and tell them your views too. You’ll probably gain some insight into how people could personally be affected by the result, and debating with people can strengthen your arguments or just make you see things clearly. But maybe don’t bring it up at a special occasion like a family wedding. Champagne, family and politics is a lethal cocktail which won’t end well!

5.    Think about what you want

Have a think about what you want out of life- your goals, ambitions and dreams- and whether the referendum result would effect those things based on what you’ve learnt, and if so how. The arguments from campaigners can get a bit abstract, but if you think of the facts and figures in terms of your job ambitions, travelling goals, family dreams etc the debate gets closer to home and a little more real.

Be critical, open- minded, and good luck…

See you on the flip side!!!